Just Desserts
by snowblinded
Summary: HIATUS: DETAILS ON PROFILE. What do you do when you're forced to dorm with Zabuza and Gaara? Give them their just desserts... in cookie form. And a little affection. Warning: Slow start in the beginning. HakuxZabuza, etc. M for sexual content later on.
1. Meet me at 3

'_Meet me on the rooftop at 3_.' ~ ?

Haku kept looking at the paper. The message was sprawled in a messy black ink. It was on his desk when he walked into history class. Kids kept staring at him and snickering, but he didn't know why. He let it go because he was used to being laughed at. Because he was scrawny, because he had long hair, because he was a feminine boy, because he kept quiet and kept to himself. Everything was a reason for embarrassment. A note on his desk didn't make sense though. He was a new kid and he hadn't even been there less than a week. He wasn't even assigned a boarding room, so he was staying at his mother's friend's house down the road. Who'd want to leave him a note?

The person next to him kept staring and giggling. Haku gave him a little dirty look, but kept trying to figure out why this note was here. Maybe it was meant for the guy on his left or that girl on the right and it was just misplaced. Maybe it was just a joke. Maybe it was a new kid initiation. Haku didn't want to sit there and keep contemplating the answers, so he just tore it in half and threw it in the garbage. A few people looked disappointed when he sat back down, but he wasn't going to let it bother him. He ran his fingers through his hair and started copying the notes on the board while everyone else starting goofing off.

Haku kept thinking how he wanted someone to talk to in the class. He only had one class with his friend Neji and that class was unfortunately gym. Haku was decently athletic, but his lack of competitive drive made him a loser and inevitably meant he's picked last for everything. It wasn't comforting to walk into every class and be stared down by everyone who didn't know him. He didn't want to feel like he was some weird reject, he had feelings too. However, that's irrelevant in high school, huh? He suffered through junior high being mistaken for a girl and he grew from it.

What was really tormenting Haku was having to transfer to a new school with other two years left. Sophomore year, he had just made two new ones and had to leave when he was transferred to this new school. His mother didn't want him to suffer through anymore abuse that the Ninja Academy provided, so she placed him in the normal high school (even worse, a boarding school) where he was one of the very few shinobi who attended. Typically, the only reasons why shinobi's attended the boarding school is because they're advanced, so the academy allow them to focus on academics until the others reach their level of abilities or Haku's dilemma, constant abuse from the others. His friend Neji came from the academy due to his advanced abilities, so he was glad he knew someone in this school.

The bell rang, knocking him out of his thoughts. As he grabbed his papers and stood up, the guy on his left knocked them out of his arms. Papers flew everywhere while everyone laughed and left the room. He took a deep breath and began collecting them, hoping the day would get better.

* * *

><p>And of course it wouldn't get better. Haku spent gym class dodging balls flying at him from the other thirty kids in class. The sick thing was that the gym teacher allowed it to be done to the shinobi of the class aka him and Neji. Since they have the prior training of speed and evasion, it lets them get their practice in and show how "supposedly" better they are to the other students. Many civilians think that the shinobi are simply snobs who show off their "special skills." While they have skills, what the teacher fails to see is that it takes strenous training to polish it. Haku wanted to explain to her how it's like basketball: You can be the best at dribbling and shooting, but without the stamina to keep running the courts, you're useless to the team. That's a shinobi with limited skills. You can dodge, but if you can't retaliate, you're dead in battle. However, it's not the most elegant conversation to have when you have fifty different red, rubber nightmares, blazing at you at full strength and jumping corner to corner of the gym dodging them.<p>

At some point, the gym teacher blew the whistle and ceased the attack. A lot of people groaned and started walking off towards the locker room. Neji and I leant against a wall and slid down.

"I don't care how 'talented' we are, you try dodging sixty balls for half an hour straight." Haku said, taking a deep breath.

Neji gave him a weird stare and replied,"You know, this is nothing compared to the battles we're destined to be in. Well, what I should be in. I should be able to handle fighting off ten different shinobis at once and not even break a sweat. I can do that. YOU need the practice, not I. If you stayed in school, this wouldn't be a problem-"

"Shut up, Neji!" Haku snapped, managing to keep his soft voice steady. "I didn't have a choice, my mother took me out. You should know better not to rub your experience in my face as if I chose to be a dropout." He stood up and started to walk off. "Just so you know, I'm still taking classes there, just after school."

Haku exited the gym, walking through the silent hallway. He hated how Neji could be so nice, but then act like a pretentious brat whenever it came to his training. He wanted to stick an icicle through his eye sometimes, but he knew Neji meant the best. He only wanted him to grow as a shinobi so he can use his abilities for a good purpose: defending the town. Haku stopped by a door and looked at the clock hanging by the ceiling. It was 2:50. He remembered the note that was left on his desk saying to meet his mystery person at 3. Although he knew it was probably some bad prank, he thought he had nothing to lose to check out the view from the top of the building. It could be even pretty.

He walked up the three flights of stairs and saw the last flight. Two sets of five steps going into an inclined ceiling and a single door that wasn't marked. He looked around a few times to make sure there'd be no one seeing him go out the stairs. He walked up slowly until he got to the doorway. He pushed it open, hoping there wasn't an alarm attached. There wasn't. All of a sudden, he was met with the crisp August wind, whipping his long hair around. He shut the door and walked forward towards the ledge. There were a bunch of metal contraptions spiraling, sticking out of the floor, but he tried to focus on the view. He saw the tops of the buildings, all the green hills, even the multiple telephone lines running down the roads. It was definitely a new view, yet he didn't see any one wanting to talk to him. Or anyone in general.

Haku made it to the ledge and sat down, letting his legs dangle. He was three floors from the ground, but he knew if he jumped, it wouldn't hurt him in the least. Learning to leap large distances is a basic skill you learn in the academy. He closed his eyes and just let the wind blow their his hair as he kept thinking about the crap he's probably going to go through this year. He could try to "man up" his appearance to lessen the tauntings, but then that just means he's giving up who he is for others. He loved his long hair, no matter how hard it was to take care of or if it got caught in everything. Long hair is beautiful. Haku reached for his hairband and pulled it off his ponytail. His hair flew about, smacking his forehead hard.

"Ow." He groaned. He pulled the hair off his face and started rubbing his head.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp spike in chakra around him. His natural response to this would be to jump into defense mode and pull out a kunai or anything he had on him, however, it's a regular school and the only people with strong chakras are the shinobi. Why would they attack a fellow one? His hand reached for the kunai on his ankle in precaution when he heard a gruff voice say, "You could have been dead by now." Haku jumped a bit and looked around. To his right, a few feet from him was a tall, muscular guy, wrapped in bandages with his headband on. His face was covered, but he could see his eyes were brown. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and brown baggy pants. The guy was leant against one of the metal contraptions, staring dead forward. He felt like he seen him before, but he couldn't tell from where. He opened his mouth to talk when he was interrupted once more.

"Are you so easy to give up your defense just because you're in civilian territory?" He asked, voice sounding aggressive.

Haku looked down at his ankle and looked back at the guy. "I-"

"It doesn't matter the environment, you should always been on your guard. I saw that you felt my presence and you didn't do a goddamn thing about it. I could have jumped up behind you, took that kunai from your ankle, and slit your throat under ten seconds."

Haku felt uncomfortable, being scolded by a stranger who doesn't even know him. He doesn't his situation with training, who is he to tell him what he should and shouldn't do? However, he knew he had a point. Letting down your guard is the worst possible thing you can do in the real world outside of the town. On missions, that scenario could be played over a hundred times and every one of those times would have meant death. He sniffled and stared down at his shoes. "I know," he barely said above a whisper. He felt embarrassed that he was caught in this situation.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the guy walk closer to him, then stop to lean against another metal object. "Don't let me catch you doing it again." Then the strong chakra he felt fizzled out as Haku listened to the sound of footsteps, a squeak, and the slam of the metal door. That slam symbolized the exact thing he just thought about: giving up who he is just to fit in. A normal guy wouldn't feel a chakra and if he felt someone by him, he'd just look first, then act. True ninjas feel those chakras and know to be ready for anything. He wasn't going to give up the thing he's been training for for years. Haku placed his hands on the ledge, pushing himself off. He was blasted with wind as he fell down, but landed without a single problem. It was a rush to do something like that after a summer of no training. As he stood up from his crouched position, he lost his balance and landed on his face.

"Ooowww." He whined. "I DO need more training."


	2. Experienced?

"Alright, we're going to start hand to hand combat now. Hopefully you guys practiced over the summer... Haku?" All eyes rolled over towards Haku who was tightening his belt. He hated when Kakashi had to direct all the attention to him. He just gave Kakashi a sheepish smile and looked down. Kakashi looked back over to the rest of the students and said, "Aaaaaanyway, pair up, spread out over the residence and spare. I will be going around checking on everyone's progress. When I get to you, do whatever you can to end the fight because sometimes in a limited time span, you may have to take out someone in less than a minute. Go."

Haku watched everyone pair up instantly, friends and friends. His only choices were Shino and Lee, and he did not want Lee. Not only is he highly skilled from practicing so often, he's annoying as hell. Unfortunately, those two partnered up, so he was solo. He saw everyone split up, exiting or walking to the other side of the room while he stood there awkwardly. Kakashi eyed the boy and asked,"Hey, where's your partner?"

"There's no more people." Haku said, shuffling his feet.

Kakashi wrapped his arm around Haku's shoulder and started walking, following Sakura and a boy he never saw before. He stuck his free hand's fingers into his mouth and whistled loud. The two turned around and yelled out,"Yo! You two and Haku are going to be a trio. Your choice: Two versus one or every man for himself. See you in half an hour." He shoved him forward towards them. He disappeared and it was just them three.

"Uhm, hi." Haku said. Sakura gave him a large smile, while the boy simply stared. Haku thought about backing out because they could choose to do two against one and he could be the one. But, he knew he wasn't going to advance his skills if he didn't practice. He took a deep breath and followed them out of the building.

* * *

><p>"Well, that sucked," Haku said, placing a band aid over his scraped shin. Shino took a band aid from what Kakashi called the "Ouchie Bowl," which was filled with band aids, gauze, and bandage wraps. He unpeeled it and stuck it over his own forehead. "This proves I need more practice. I was good with getting Sakura out, but that guy with the dog, he took me out so easy. I really need practice." Shino simply nodded. "I'm supposed to be a chunin. All I'm proving is that I should be a genin with my moves. I spend too much time daydreaming." Once again, Shino nodded. Everyone was changing into their normal clothes, except him and Shino. Shino wore the same clothes no matter what, but Haku felt uncomfortable in the changing room. The guys would make fun of him or they'd make comments about how "pretty" he was, but he couldn't go into the girl's changing room either because while they liked him, it was still a male in a girl's room. Instead, Haku would just keep his clothes on until he got back to his friend's house.<p>

He undid his ponytail, starting to rake his fingers through his hair and looked around. Shino disappeared. He was used to it, but when he looked over to his right, the boy with the dog appeared. "Hey." The boy said, trying to act smooth.

Haku nervously chuckled. "Uhm, hi."

"The name is Kiba," he said, then a puppy jumped out of his jacket and barked. "Oh, and this little guy is Akamaru."

"Oh. He's cute." He replied, trying to keep the conversation brief. He didn't know whether he was just being friendly or thought he was a female.

"Sooo, what's your name?"

"Haku... uhm, I should get going." He got up, walking towards the exit. He mumbled a quick 'goodbye,' yet the boy followed him.

"Where you going, babe? I thought we were getting to know each other," Kiba's voice spoke, but Haku felt something touching his rear. Then a squeeze. He stopped immediately, feeling rage boil in his blood. This guy was touching his ass. In what felt like five seconds, Haku has grabbed the boy's hand, twisted it, and flipped him over. Kiba laughed a dark chuckle as he got up. "I like my girls feisty. Makes a good chase." His hand shot for Haku's arm. It startled him, causing him to shoot icicles from the ground up around him. He heard the clattering of ice scratching against each other, but Haku didn't want to look in case the boy was injured. He knew he had to though. His eyes fell upon Kiba being hung up by his jacket with ten foot high spikes surrounding them.

"What the hell is this! You didn't have to almost kill me with death spikes! Fucking bitch!" He screeched, kicking and flailing about. The anger sprouted again as Haku brought the icicle Kiba was hanging off of down to eye-level.

Haku got close to his face and said,"One, you don't EVER touch a girl you just met like that! What kind of perverted boy would treat a woman like that? Second, watch your language! You never, EVER call a woman a 'bitch.' " Haku reached for his shirt and loosened his belt. Kiba's eyes widened and a slight smile crept upon his face. "And third..." Haku opened his shirt to reveal his flat chest. The disappointment in Kiba's face couldn't had been any clearer. "I'm a male. Think about those lessons while the ice melts. Tah." And with that, Haku closed his shirt and left the room.

"Wait until it- you have to be kidding me! This ice is huge, I can't wait for it to- LET ME DOOOOOWN!" Kiba yelled. Haku ignored it, letting his pitiful threats drown out from his head. He got what he deserved.

* * *

><p>"<em>Meet me at 3 on the rooftop <em>~ ?"

Haku sighed, staring at the piece of paper. Same message, different handwriting. He wondered if someone truly did want to talk to him. Then he thought it was probably just a retarded prank that they think is hilarious in a weird way. He tightened up his ponytail and leant back into his desk. He thought he might as well go to the roof again. It is a lovely view, but he just hoped that guy wasn't there again to lecture him about training. Haku stared once more at the paper, then tore it up and tossed the remains behind him. He didn't know if someone was behind him, but he didn't want to get up due to his leg's soreness. Since he wasn't confronted about the paper, he assumed no one was there. Haku shut his eyes, placing his head down on the cool surface of his desk until he heard the bell vaguely ring.

2:50 once again. Haku leant against the wall of the hallway. It was still as silent as his first time visit to the roof. The classes get out at three, so he had to go up now or risk being seen by others. He took the three and a half flights up to the rooftop where he took one last look around before opening the door. He was greeted by the same crisp air that whipped his hair about. He strolled over to the ledge, throwing his legs over. Haku took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to let the fresh air perk up his mood. He used to go on walks to clear his mind, however, lately he's nature-loving self has been trapped by a single bedroom at his mother's friend's place. The four walls kept him captive from enjoying his surroundings. He couldn't wait until he moved into a dorm room so he could have all the freedom he wanted. He'd be taking walks, practicing with Neji, and could start baking again. Haku loved baking, especially desserts. His philosophy about dessert is, "No matter the matter, the way to a smile is with a cookie platter."

He was starting to really relax when he heard a noise. It sounded like a foot step. He snatched the kunai from his ankle, holding it in a tight grip. Haku didn't see anyone, but he felt the chakra of the stranger getting close to him. He stood up on the ledge and hopped back down to the rooftop, glancing around for the stranger. No one was there visually, yet he still felt the chakra just circling him. Then he felt the spike of energy to his left, he launched the kunai with a great precision. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The stranger in bandages held the kunai by his face with two fingers, just twirling it around. He wasn't even looking at Haku when he said,"Good, but not enough." The stranger dropped the blade, letting it's loud landing echo.

Haku frowned, thinking he did a good job since it seemed pretty precise. His hand was by his face so if he didn't catch it, it would have been a kunai through the eye (which doesn't sound pleasant whatsoever.) Haku was mainly impressed that this stranger was able to catch a flying blade without a sign of difficulty. Kunai are sharp, so he should at least have cuts on his hand, but he didn't see any form of red blood dripping down, so he must have caught in from the end. That was even more surprising because the end is so small in comparison to the body of the blade. He sniffled and leant against a piece of metal, disappointed in his attack.

"Well?" A harsh voice asked. Haku turned his head at the stranger who still refused eye contact. He cocked his head in confusion. "Are you going to get your blade or you like being defenseless?" The voice ordered, obviously aggravated at something. Haku treaded over to the stranger, worrying whether he'd try to attack him. When he got close enough, he stole a quick at the stranger's face. Pale, strong jawline under the bandages, surprisingly soft nose despite the masculine shape of his face. Haku found him attractive in a dangerous way. As he squatted down to pick up the kunai, he saw feet walking up to him. Haku followed the feet upward, admiring the strong, muscular legs and built chest to the stranger's hidden face. Haku kept staring at the stranger as he stood back up, having harsh eyes glaring back at him. After what seemed forever in Haku's mind, the stranger asked,"What's your name?" It definitely wasn't as angry as it was a few minutes ago, but held a demanding tone.

He swallowed hard and replied,"Haku." He wasn't used to being in such a close proximity of strangers before, but it felt comforting despite the man's negative energy. The stranger made a confirmating sound of "hm", nodded and turned away from him. He began walking towards the exit with no other words for Haku. He listened to the foot steps, the door opening, then being closed. This time, Haku felt the door slam hard. It felt more cold than it did the first time. He felt... alone. He felt like a disappointment again. What confused him most of all was wanting to impress this guy who's been nothing but a jerk to him. He assumed it was just because he didn't want to get nagged at. Haku placed the kunai back into his ankle holster and sat down on the ledge.

"I need practice."

* * *

><p>For the rest of the week, Haku kept getting the same note in different handwritings. He knew it was a prank and people were just trying to mess with him, but he kept getting drawn to the rooftop. It wasn't even the view, it was the stranger. Haku just wanted the stranger to keep scolding him, telling him what he was doing wrong. For the next three days, he happily fled to the roof after gym class. He'd sit on the ledge, dangling his legs freely in excitement, waiting for the stranger to show up. Yet, he never felt the chakra spike, not even once. He kept feeling an aching to see him, like his heart needed him. Nothing. He waited half an hour each day, watching people entering and exiting the campus. He played his own game of "Find the Stranger" with the crowd below. No bandages, no muscles. There was never a sign of the stranger. Haku felt like giving up on the third day, but he decided against it when the fourth day rolled around.<p>

There he was, leaning on a piece of metal, eyes shut, waiting for something to happen, anything! Haku just wanted to some form of contact with the mysterious strang-

"Are you really that gullible?"

Haku's eyes shot open as he yelped, his heart started pounding erratically in his chest. The stranger stood in front of him with his arms crossed, eyes set on Haku, however, they weren't as hateful, they were...confused? As he took many breaths trying to calm down, the man asked once more slowly, "Are you really that gullible?"

Haku wasn't interested in answering that question yet (especially because he was trying to breath regularly). Instead, he asked breathily, "How come I didn't sense you?"

"It's called chakra control. You can suppress for a brief time limit, usually used for surprise attacks and camoflaguing yourself from being caught by people who sense the energy. Despite it's usage, it still hinders because when you let it go, it has to rebuild so you're momentarily weak. The longer it's held, the longer it'll take to rebuild. I can tell by your pitiful training that you probably haven't even reached chakra manipulation, correct?" The stranger spat.

He let his eyes drift downward. "...no." He barely said.

"Do you not realize those notes are all fake?" The stranger asked.

Haku looked up at him, confused. "How do you-?"

"They do this to every new kid. Send them a childish note telling them to meet them on the rooftop. Typically, they do it to girls because boys are usually smart enough to realize it's bullshit, but I'm going to assume you're just a gullible he-she, huh?" Haku was about to say he was a guy before the stranger put his hand up and cut him off again. "Save it, I know you're a boy. I saw your icicle show with puppy boy at the academy. It was actually amusing." Haku shut his mouth and pouted. "So, are you just gullible or do you have a purpose of being up here?"

Haku wanted to talk to the stranger, but he didn't want questions being asked towards him. He just wanted to keep listening to what he had to say about Haku's poor training, but he definitely didn't want to end their interaction just because he didn't answer an easy question. Haku decided the best way to keep the communication going would be with a vague, interesting answer.

"You...intrigue me." Those three words made the harsh face of the stranger twist into a curious eyebrow cock. Haku felt like he was going to ask why, so he cut him off. "What's your name?" He tried to keep it sound slow and cool like he didn't care, but it probably came out rushed and excited.

He watched the strangers eyes blink a few times before he answered. "Zabuza."

Haku did what Zabuza did to him: a confirming "hm" sound, a nod, and walked away without a single glance back (even though he did want to stand and stare at him more.) He wanted to see "Zabuza's" face being left behind, but the only way to keep someone coming back is with a little chase. Zabuza... Zabuza... Zabuza. He kept repeating in his head. He just like the sound of it echoing in his head. Haku felt like he was definitely going to see him again... even if he had to track him down.

* * *

><p>"I'm glad you're finally moving in." Neji said, dragging one of Haku's suitcases up the stairs. Haku was struggling with his one single bag, but it was packed tight. Neji kept noticing his struggling and kept asking to bring it up for him, but Haku insisted it was best for him to do it himself, build up "muscle." Neji let it go after the fourth time watching him drop the bag. They only had to bring the bags to the third floor to the floor advisor's dorm. The only thing lengthening the trip was how many steps on the three flights of stairs there were in the dorm building. Neji didn't want to admit it, but his calves were starting to get a tired. If he was getting tired, he definitely didn't want to imagine how Haku was feeling. Needless to say, when they arrived to the third floor, Haku dropped the bag and collasped dramatically onto the floor.<p>

"Neji!" Haku called out. Neji placed the other suitcase beside the heavy one and kneeled over him. A little smile spread over Neji's face as Haku fake coughed and asked,"If I die... promise me... you'll tell everyone... I love them." He make a bunch of choking sounds before "passing out."

Neji laughed and punched him in the side. "Get up before people think I beat you up." Haku merely made more sounds and spazzed. As he continued, he didn't notice the floor advisor was walking towards them. She stopped in her tracks and stared at Haku's fish-out-of-water impression. Neji noticed her and starting prodding Haku. "Hey, the advisor is here. Get up." Haku quickly got up, wiping off any dirt on him. He sheepishly smiled at the brunette advisor.

She sighed and asked,"Haku, correct?" He nodded. "I'm Hana Inuzuka, the floor advisor. Follow me so we can drop off your bags. I'm going to give you a tour of the campus until around lunch time. Then we will bring your bags to your actual dorm, then head off to lunch. Got it?" He smiled and nodded more. Hana looked at Neji. "You! Are you coming for the tour or just dropping off the bags?"

"Dropping off the bags."

"Whatever, let's go." From there, they reached the advisor's dorm. They threw the bags in and Neji left. For half an hour, Haku became bored of the tour. She literally took him around every nook and cranny of the building. He didn't know he'd need to know where every vent was located (one vent per six dorm suites). After what seemed like ever, Haku fetched his bags from the advisor's room.

"So, you're in room 307 which is by the lounge. The lounge as I showed you has a coffee machine, seats, a table, vending machines, and even an oven, although most people don't cook here, they just go down to the cafeteria. Your dorm comes with one fridge that you share with your roommates and two pantry closets. You have a microwave in the pseudo-kitchen. The living room is two couches, a coffee table, and a tv stand. I believe your roommates have a tv in there already. There's a wraparound deck that comes with three chairs. If you want people over, they have to supply the rest of the chairs. Aaaaand, that's about it off the top of my head."

Haku sighed. That was a lot for being off the top of her head. She might as well described the types of beds, what color the walls are, and where the vent was by them like she did for the past part of the tour. He shook his head, trying not to fill his head with negativity. It's a new experience, he gets to meet new people, and he has freedom this time. It was going to be spectacular.

Hana kept swinging the key around her finger until they reached the room. "Okaaaay, Room 307. I was going to open the door, but your roommates are a little... paranoid, if I can say."

"Paranoid?"

"Okay, not paranoid. As school regulation, we bunk most shinobi in the same dorms to prevent any accidents towards civilians. They're not paranoid, they're on the defense, if you know what I mean?" Hana's face twisted in a look of caution.

"On guard." Haku corrected.

"Yeah, that." Her knuckles gently tapped on the door. "As another regulation we follow, any suggestions towards dorming, we ask the Academy teachers if there's any specific people that they'd want the student to bunk with. Typically, they suggest friends or family, but in your case, they just said someone experienced. I'll assume you're a little lacking, huh?" Haku pouted. Even civilians knew he was an inexperienced chunin. They heard voices behind the door, then the click of the lock. The door swung open to reveal his new dorm mates.

Hana said perkily, "I personally picked out your roommates. Your teachers said you could be dorming with that guy with your bags, but if you need experienced, I have experienced. These guys have been here since freshman year. If you're going to learn from anyone, it'll be these two. This is..."

Haku's eyes travelled to his bandaged stranger, well he wasn't bandaged in that moment. He could see his whole face, including his tight lined lips and the brown eyes glaring down at him. "Zabuza Momochi. I picked him because, hello? Muscles, silent but deadly type. Plus he totally shares your 'water release' jutsu. He can teach you a lot."

Beside him was a short, spiked redhead wearing a black shirt with fishnet and black pants and a red leather belt around his waist. There was also a large, brown jug on his back. What really seemed to be strange to him was his black rimmed lids that emphasized his green eyes and that "love" kanji inscribed into his forehead. "And this is Gaara. He's from the Sand Village and obviously has sand jutsu's, but also shares your 'wind release,' so he can help you with that too. The ice release, you're on your own to find. Now if this isn't experienced, shoot me now." Hana said, clearly enjoying herself too much.

"I wouldn't mind." A hushed voice stated. Zabuza elbowed Gaara and shook his head. Gaara rolled his eyes and stared directly at Haku. "Need help?" His voice was harsh like Zabuza's, but more soft than gruff. Haku blushed, embarrassed at how... effeminate he was compared to these two guys. They both has a bit of muscle, short spiked hair. And Haku? Thin, frail, long black hair and soft facial features. He quickly nodded. Out of nowhere, Haku saw sand leave the jar. It molded into the shape of whips? Rope? It latched onto the handles of Haku's bags and gently pulled them into the room. They stepped to the side allowing it to sit in the living room. The sand retreated back into the jar as they stepped back into the doorway.

"I think you guys are going to get along great!" Haku felt shocked by the enthusiasm of this woman. In what way did she think sticking the gentle "he-she" with the scary guys was a good idea? He knew she meant best, but it was just not a good decision on Haku's part. She threw her arm around him and said, "Alright, it's a few minutes to lunch, I'm gonna take you down there and since you've been here for the week, you know where everything is, right? Right! So, that's where I'll drop you off. After lunch, you're allowed the rest of the day off to unpack and settle in." Hana started pulling Haku towards the staircase when she stopped and turned his head at the roommates. "Hey, you guys better be down there soon too. Y'all can sit together and get to know each other." Haku hoped they wouldn't.

* * *

><p>"Experienced?" Neji's new friend Temari shouted. Haku gulped, being caught off guard by the abrasive behavior. Neji usually doesn't like loud people, but it is a new school, you make do with what you got.<p>

The girl's pigtails bounced up and down in fury as her friend beside her smirked and said casually,"Yeah, if you mean experienced from bed to bed to bed, then yeah, they're experienced."

Haku blushed a bit, still not used to talking about sex with others. He knew about it, but it wasn't something that really interested him and he thought the process of it was... awkward. He did want to know what the girl meant though so he asked, "How so?"

The friend explained,"They're totally sluts. They sleep with everyone. Zabuza has been with a lot of girls and moi in this school, including graduates and even one or two girls from the Ninja Academy. And Gaara, oh god, that's a whole 'nother creepy story."

Temari said,"He's basically a rapist!"

Haku gasped. That is definitely a word he did not want to hear when they're your room mate and ESPECIALLY when you look like a girl.

The friend swatted Temari's arm,"You're so overdramatic, he is not a rapist." She turned to me and said,"He and the blonde bimbo to my side are from the Sand Village. It's really secluded, so they don't know of our modern ways of dating. Their village mates via old, primitive ways. The male captures a female and claims them as their girlfriend. The male usually marks the female as their territory by having sex with them. Virgins usually do the best because they'd be sore from the first time. If another male tries to claim her, they'd notice she's broken, thus belonging to someone else. Once again, primitive and scary, really. Anyway, when Gaara came to this school, he kidnapped a few girls and they were saved before he had sex with them, but at that point, the administration had to step in and explain that that's not what we do in the modern world. Of course, he was slapped with a few detentions, but he hasn't done that since then."

"Yeah, but I bet he would again when we return to the Sand Village! That isn't something you grow out of, you're raised by the father knowing that's what's going to happen. I don't want to go back to the Sand Village after learning that I can actually pick who I want or deny people I don't want. It's the perfect way to create a rapist!" Temari claimed, appearing afraid and worried.

Neji said to Haku, "I think you should be good. Just remember to tell them you're a male and they should leave you alone. Or you can make your introductory cookies."

The friend leant over the table and asked,"You bake?" Haku smiled and nodded. "Oh my gosh, you are a glorious being. You have to make me some cookies."

Temari bumped her over and said,"No, wait, you can make cakes too, right?" He nodded once more. The girls grasped each others hands and sighed a heavenly sigh. "We have a dessert god among us!" Temari declared. They started laughing when Neji placed his hand in front of his mouth.

"You know, that can be a great way to get a girl..." He whispered. "Or a guy... I really don't know what you're into."

Haku blushed and replied,"I think guys. I don't think a girl would be interested in me either way. Nobody wants to date someone who longer hair then them." The boys chuckled. Haku felt happy that he did have a friend... or two more new ones, even if he didn't know the other girl's name. However, the real dilemma was going to be being friendly to his new roommates. His scary-eyed roommates who look like they could kill him in less than two seconds. He shuddered at thought of possibly being murdered within the first week. That wouldn't be good news for his mother, however, he did remember his mantra: "No matter the matter, the way to a smile is with a cookie platter." That's what he'd do! He'd make an amazing cookie platter that would blow their minds. After all, everyone loves cookies... right?

* * *

><p>Author's note: And that was chapter two. Hope it's okay. It's been a long time since I've written ANYTHING, so my sentences are probably very simple and short despite my attempts at lengthening. I will continue to improve the writing style. As I stated in my summary of this story, this is a slow start. Hope you can stay patient. Thanks for reading.<p> 


	3. Welcome Home

Zabuza opened the refrigerator, looking for something to quench his thirst. There were water bottles, beer in soda bottles, and a single case of orange juice sitting on the shelves. He hated orange juice and it was too early for beer, so he took one of the water bottles. He opened the lid and put it to his mouth, letting the cold water fill up his throat. He chugged the rest of it before tossing the empty bottle into the recycling bin. He turned towards the living room where Gaara sat, watching a 1000 Ways To Die. He watched his faint smiles when they explained what happened to each person, but never enough to show that he truly enjoyed the show. It was a mutual thing between them after living with each other for so long. They could tell when the other was angry, upset, or even happy without the obvious facial expressions.

He made his way over to the couch and dropped himself beside Gaara. "Anything good?" He asked.

"These two guys died in a giant bubble down a hill. Pretty pathetic." Gaara smirked, amused by the pitiful death. "I rather watch you drown someone in your water bubble."

Zabuza sighed and informed him,"For the last time, we're not making a snuff film."

Gaara rolled his eyes, groaning,"You're such a buzzkill." Zabuza always wondered what others would think if they overheard the conversations they had. They were joking, they wouldn't actually kill someone for the hell of it, but it was fun to joke about. Gaara picked up the clicker and changed the channel to USA. They had Law & Order: SVU on. Gaara didn't like the show, but Zabuza liked it and that was good enough reason to keep it on.

"Speaking of 'Special Victims,' what do you think of our newest addition?" Gaara asked.

Zabuza crossed his arms, shrugging. "That was the kid from the roof." He had told him about Haku, simply because Gaara questioned the everyday visits to the rooftop. Typically he only went up on Mondays.

"He's prettier than how you described him." Gaara stated, eyes fixated on the tv screen. "Although he also looks like a kicked puppy."

He smiled slightly, inquiring, "You thought he was pretty?"

"You described a girl to me. You failed to tell me that it was a he-she."

"No, he is a he. Just.. a feminine he."

Gaara turned towards Zabuza, eyes questioning why he was defending the he-she, but Zabuza stared back with a "drop it" glare. Gaara huffed and focused back onto the tv, ticked that he wasn't explaining anything. He figured he must had thought Haku was pretty before finding out she was a he. It was quite amusing to see him frustrated though. Despite the truth of the sex, Gaara had a feeling it'd be a few interesting months with this pretty boy, especially because he had to bunk in his room. He could mentally mess with the pretty boy or play constant pranks on him until he wanted to move out, but he also found Zabuza's attitude towards the boy interesting. Before he did anything of the sort, he wanted to make sure he knew how Zabuza felt. If he liked him, there would be no way Gaara could mess with him without consequences. Sometimes it's a disadvantage to room with someone as strong as you... or larger.

* * *

><p>"Neji, please, I don't want to goooo," Haku begged, grasping onto Neji's arm. He continued to pull Haku towards his dorm room, which was what he was dreading. He didn't want to face his new dorm mates so soon, especially without the cookies. He felt his heart dropping lower and lower in his chest as he neared the room. "Please, come on? Can you at least help me unpack? Don't leave meeeeee."<p>

"You're a grown boy. Act your age and deal with it." Haku desperately clung onto Neji even though at the moment, he really wanted him to be a more supportive friend. Neji has always been a "deal with the situation" person, while Haku would do whatever it took from having to face reality. And this was what he was getting, a dose of reality. Trapped for months with people who could scare just about anyone with simply eye contact. If happy-go-lucky Hana would have ignored the academy teacher's suggestions (or at least didn't take them to the extreme), he could have roomed with Neji. It was the thought of comfort that kept him somewhat calm when they reached the room.

Neji broke Haku's arm grasp and grabbed his shoulders. "Listen to me. This is your room as much as it is their room. Don't let them push you out. Don't let them run over you. You may be sensitive, but I know that you can hold your own when you truly need to. You're strong enough to endure whatever they throw at you. Got it?" Haku thought it was sweet that he was giving him a pep talk. He mentally withdrew the mean comments he thought about Neji as he gave him a quick hug. Neji allowed it for two seconds before he gently pushed Haku away. He was never one for affection unless he started it. "Now go." With that, Neji walked away, leaving Haku to face his fate. He took a few deep breaths and opened the door.

Haku's first sight upon opening the door was the living room. A bit dingy with an adequate size tv on a desk, two small couches, and a coffee table that only had a simple vase with two flowers: a daffodil and a rose. It was surprisingly classy in contrast to the appearances of the guys. He stepped into the room with great precaution and closed the door as soft as he could. He heard footsteps followed by the faraway declaration of:

"For the final time, Hana, we are not going to mess with the new kid. I have better things to do with my time." It sounded like the redhead's voice, but the footsteps came from another direction. Haku stepped forward from the doorway and looked towards his left. There stood Zabuza, unbandaged and as cold as the first time he laid eyes on him. He donned the same brown baggy pants only with a dark blue t-shirt. His brown eyes stared down at the smaller boy before saying:

"Welcome to your new home." He didn't say it in a mean tone. There wasn't any sarcasm to it, it was just stating a point.

Haku swallowed hard and replied,"Thank you."

Zabuza rubbed the back of his head, appearing a bit uncomfortable. "So, my room is to the left here. I have a single. You're sharing the room with Gaara to the right over there," he informed, pointing towards his room and Haku's new room. "We have the fridge here, if you have drinks or food, throw it in there. No gurandtees it'll stay untouched. The television is used a lot, but we usually compromise what to watch, except on Wednesdays when we watch a movie. That's about it. Any other rules, you're just going to have to learn along the way." He rubbed his head once more and turned back towards his room. He stopped for a moment, adding,"If you need me, knock on my door. Don't just walk in. It's just rude." With that, he disappeared behind the bedroom door.

Haku took a deep breath as if he was trying to prepare for something horrible to occur. He felt like he was being the paranoid one here, especially because he walked into a relatively calm place. It wasn't dark or threatening in any way, it's only the residents who were making him shake in his shoes. He trudged down the hall to the right and into his new bed room where he was greeted with the scent of Dragon's Blood incense. His bags were leant against a small wooden dresser. Beside the dresser was a large closet. Half of it was full of black, white, red, and green clothing hanging off of hangers and sitting on shelves, while the other side was bare. On the left of the dresser was his bed, a small twin, and at the foot of the bed was a desk that had a laptop on it.

"That's my computer if you must know." The voice scared Haku for a brief second before turning back to face the redhead. He sat on the other bed, cross legged, and leant against the wall with a large book on his lap. He stared into it while he continued. "We weren't supposed to have a third roommate so I set it up over there. I like it over there, so it's going to stay. You need a desk, use mine. It's empty." The redhead raised his head to see if the boy understood.

* * *

><p>"Oh, okay," the pretty boy replied in a soft, scared voice. Gaara shook his head, putting his focus back onto the book. So far, he was unimpressed by the boy's behavior. He's weak. Completely weak and he has to sleep in the same room as him. The most annoying thing was feeling his chakra waver whenever he spoke towards this Haku. How was he supposed to "teach" this guy anything if just the mere interaction of a possible teacher causes him a fright? And if he's scared of Gaara, he didn't even want to imagine his reaction towards Zabuza.<p>

The pretty boy went towards his two large bags, opening the largest. From the top, he pulled out a large amount of blue sheets. Gaara's nostrils were struck by the smelt like fresh flowers. He'd never admit it, but he loves the smell of flowers. That was one of the reasons why Zabuza and him had the vase in the living room. Neither of them liked excessive decoration nor felt a need to "express" themselves, so they settled on flowers, one that they each liked. Zabuza wasn't into flowers, but just picked a rose. Gaara had chuckled at the obvious choice and picked his, a daffodil. Of course, he laughed at his choice for it being so gentle, but he wasn't going to take it back. It's a beautiful flower which grew plentiful back in the Sand Village, or at least on the outskirts. He had thought they were pretty then too, yet it wasn't anything a prideful man would admit to anyone. When he transferred to the Academy, then to the boarding school, he discovered how people "dated." For some reason, bringing a female flowers was a way to show affection or love. He thought to himself that he'd probably be happy if someone gave me a bouquet, then tossed that frivilous thought once he scared off all the females at the school from his traditional, "dating" habits of kidnapping and forced sex. Feelings are weak.

He kept staring at the pretty boy setting up his bed sheets. In a way, he wanted to help the poor boy put his things away, but then that would mean that he'd give the impression that he's adknowledging him as a human. Gaara didn't want to risk it. It's too early to appear "caring" to anyone other than Zabuza and even that was limited. Haku kept smoothing out each wrinkle on the bed and adjusting the sheets like a room maid. He wouldn't be surprised if the pretty boy was a room maid. He was folding with hospital corners basically.

At some point, Gaara grew bored of watching the he-she play housewife and retreated to the living room. Zabuza was sitting on the couch with a bowl of ramen on the table. He was watching NCIS, an episode they had seen already. "Are you addicted to USA?" Gaara asked, taking a place on the couch.

Zabuza moved over a little and grabbed the clicker. "I haven't found anything worth watching." He click through a few before they saw "Snapped" on Oxygen. They glanced at each other and mutually agreed.

Half an hour passed before they heard the new room mate exit the bed room. Gaara turned his head and observed what was happening. The pretty boy had an armful of what seemed to be baking ingredients. He pressed himself against the pantry door, struggling to get his hand around the knob, making small, pathetic noises for every time he had the grip and lost it. Gaara smirked, enjoying the struggle. Once again, if it wasn't so early, he'd help the kid out. Not personally of course, with the use of his sand, but it was so much more entertaining to see the boy play with the door. He nudged Zabuza, who looked over too. At first, he tried to understand what was happening. Then he saw the large amount of cans in his hands and proceeded to smirk. They watched him bump the door until they heard a small cry of, "Help, please?"

Gaara was delighted at the wonderful whimpering for help. There was nothing more he enjoyed than watching the weak give into more weakness, however Zabuza popped his bubble by standing up. The redhead glared up in confusion at him; he merely shrugged. Apparently, he didn't find it as brilliant as the redhead did because he walked over to the pretty boy. Gaara watched him as he ordered, "Move," towards the boy. He backed up and the pantry door opened. Pretty boy rammed the cans into the shelves, letting them roll and bang against the back. Haku sighed in relief as he began to organize them.

"Thank you very much," the boy said, graciously giving Zabuza a quick bow. Gaara saw Zabuza was taken aback by the gesture even if pretty boy couldn't see it. Who bows anymore to begin with? Formality is not well known in modern times, however Zabuza gave him a quick nod and strolled back towards the couch. Gaara raised his eyebrows playfully at him until he landed a soft punch into his shoulder. He thought it was amusing when he felt uncomfortable since it was an element he hardly experienced. He and Gaara have always been great at hiding their emotions, so to break their facade takes a bit of work.

The duo remained silent while watching tv. The only sounds were Zabuza's soup slurping, the sounds of gun shots, and the thuds of metal cans in the pantry. It was more noisy then it usually was thanks to the cans. Gaara didn't know if he was going to get used to the boy, but he definitely didn't want to get used to the sound of those cans. "Could you be any louder?" He snapped, irritated by the incessant metal noises.

Haku spun towards the living room and gazed back at Gaara with guilty eyes. "I'm sorry, I'll stop," he promised in a small voice. The pretty boy walked back towards the bedroom, then came out with a small bag. He grabbed a few cans, placing them into the bag, and left the dorm. Gaara smirked at this mini victory. He didn't even have to say much and he got the boy to leave. If it was that easy to get rid of him, he was definitely going to use it to his advantage.

"Why did you do that?" Zabuza asked, obviously not impressed by Gaara's work.

He crossed his arms and replied,"Because he was noisy and annoying me."

"You could have just asked him to be quiet."

"I could have, but then his reaction wouldn't have been entertaining."

Zabuza squinted and asked,"Is everything you do for the result of 'entertainment?' "

Gaara was somewhat offended by Zabuza's question. He didn't understand what was the big deal about the way he treated the pretty boy. He knew that Gaara was a blunt person and he would deal with an issue without a care towards how the other person felt. Sure, Gaara enjoyed the misery of others, but he's not some 24/7 cruel person who lives on the negativity. The fact that Zabuza assumed that was disappointing to Gaara, but he wasn't going to bring it up. Instead he scoffed, "When do you care how I act?"

Zabuza seemed to have been caught off guard and quickly said,"I don't. The boy is just new, we could just give him the benefit of the doubt."

"No, YOU can give him the benefit, I'm going to give him nightmares," Gaara stated, starting to get up from the couch. He walked towards the left hallway, but stopped at the corner. He looked towards the tall boy and gave him a girly look, imitating Haku's soft voice: "Don't let the pretty face affect you, Zabuza." He gave him an big, false smile before vanishing into the bedroom, shutting the door louder than necessary.

* * *

><p>Haku cracked two eggs into the large, green bowl in front of him and poured a bit of vanilla into the mixture. He was in the process of making his cookie platter since the attitude of his new room mate clearly dictates the need for it. Haku felt defeated. He got run out of the room with hardly a few words. He didn't even stand up for himself! This was exactly what Neji told him NOT to do and he allowed it. He's a gentle spirit, he doesn't want to cause trouble with the others, but even Zabuza didn't stop the redhead.<p>

Zabuza. Haku told him that he found him intriguing on the rooftop before. What was intriguing anyway? His personality? Well, all he learnt about his personality was that he doesn't like inexperienced chunin. It's just the way he thrusted the advice towards Haku with a sharp-tongue, letting insults follow after. His presence? Ice cold, but strong. Defensive, yet open. Haku felt like he could have spoken to the mysterious boy and he'd listen, even if he wouldn't reply back. Instead, he simply took the boy's verbal abuse with pleasure. His body? Pale, muscular, always tense. However, seeing him in the dorm (specifically his "turf"), he was relaxed. The harsh face that glared at him was calm. And his eyes? Simply divine brown eyes. Okay, so maybe Haku was more than intrigued, but it's not like Zabuza would be interested. From the words of his no-name friend in lunch, he's into females. It doesn't matter how feminine he looked, he wasn't born with the essential body parts to be considered "attractive."

Haku groaned, frustrated by his thoughts, and decided to try to just focus on the baking. After allowing himself to be shoo'ed, he took a few ingredients with him and retreated to the school's baking class since he didn't bring any cooking tools. It took a lot of convincing for the cooking teacher to allow him to use the kitchen, mainly because he was male and the only people who took the class were girls, yet he didn't sign up. His excuse was he was signed up late, which he truly was. The spots were filled, which is why he ended up with gym class. Luckily, the teacher took pity on Haku and allowed him to sign up as her assistant and made sure it was during the gym class. She would never comprehend how thankful he was for her doing that glorious favor.

He pulled out a bag of flour from underneath the counter he was at and placed it on the table. He opened it, dipping the his one cup measuring cup into the flour. One scoop, two scoop, and three scoops. He grabbed the half cup and dipped it in once more. He placed the last cup into the bowl before putting the bag away and grabbing the baking powder. As he took two teaspoons out, his mind wandered back to Zabuza.

While he didn't defend Haku from Gaara's remarks, he did actually help him when he was struggling with the pantry door. He was nice enough to do that, but that could have just been normal courtesy. He groaned again, thinking he's blowing this out of proportion, after all, he hasn't even known the guy for a full week and he's assuming things about his personality. He could be like Gaara, only with manners. Or maybe they're nothing alike and simply tolerate one another. All he knew was that there was a wall around Zabuza and Haku wanted to climb it and hold him. The moment that ran through his mind, he felt stupid. Honestly, who thinks that? It was pathetic. Haku put the baking powder away and shut the cabinet door. He stood up and placed his head on the cool counter. Haku felt like he was acting difficult for no reason. All these off-putting thoughts weren't how Haku typically was. He used to smile and laugh at everything, oblivious to everything other than how other people felt. He was sensitive and creative at one point, but now? Weak. Not a single sliver of spine in his body just because of these guys. No wonder girls swear off men sometimes, they can really run you down to the ground without trying.

Haku grabbed at the salt harshly and popped it open. He dumped a bunch into the teaspoon before slamming it back down. He didn't want to be one of those people who lets guys run their lives. He was a guy himself, who is he to let another man control how he acts (despite his sexual orientation)? He took a spoon and stirred the contents of the bowl thoroughly. Neji was right. Haku is strong, even if it took a little bratty five foot three redhead with raccoon eyes to make him realize it. He wasn't going to let him get the best of him and Zabuza? Well, if he's interested, let him catch Haku, not the other way around, however, there wasn't anything wrong with getting to know Zabuza, right? Haku smiled with a newfound rejuvanation as he continued to make his cookie batter.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: There's another update. Hope it's coming along decent. Like I said, it's a slow start. I like to build up the personalities of the characters before launching them into action. I hope it doesn't bother you guys. Thanks for reading, more chapters coming up soon.


	4. Got Dough?

Sunlight poured into Zabuza's window, lighting up his wreck of a room, including the obvious trash pile Zabuza had neglected for the past week. Cleanliness wasn't his strong suit. He had been accustomed to others taking care of it or waiting until it got out of hand to deal with it. He'd rather spend his time focusing on training or sleeping or sleeping after he trained. Or his new found hobby, thinking. Zabuza moaned, not wanting to get off of his bed to shut the blinds, but the light was pissing him off. He swung his feet off the uncomfortable cot of a bed and spun the wand of the blinds until he couldn't see the light. He dragged his feet back to the bed, slamming himself face first. The squeaks echoed in his shitty room which made him realize he should clean up a bit.

He grabbed the pillow beside him and put it under his head. His new found hobby, thinking, it wasn't actually newfound, but it usually wasn't anything extensive. It usually stretched towards training, food, and sex. Lately, it breached a new level: crushes. Crushes and sex are two whole different things. When Zabuza felt the urge to "sow his oats," it was easy enough to grab a girl. He may have been eighteen years old, but he could easy pass as twenty five, allowing him to hit up any female he wanted. Most girls dug the muscles and the "mysterious" attitude. Crushes: it felt, juvenile. There were few times he latched a girl and stuck with her as long as they were willing to give their "goodies." The moment they revealed feelings towards Zabuza, he cut his losses and disappeared. He wasn't one to dedicate himself to a single female, usually because he found he had nothing in common with them. Besides, he had his future as a shinobi to concern himself with. A girl would just interrupt the process.

While a female was out of the picture, crushes appeared in a new way. He remembered the first time on the roof top seeing a girl with long, black hair by herself. As he walked forward (but away from her), he watched her reach towards her ankle. He saw there was a kunai. In any other occasion, he'd probably just let it go after the person realize he too was a shinobi, but it was a girl. He never thought girls made good shinobi to begin with. Kunoichi were mainly medical, making them typically useless in battle other than basic skills. They just didn't have the focus a guy had: they had feelings. Feelings make you often weak in battle because you're too busy being concerned about your teammates health. He wasn't going to let her get away with such a pitiful fight response, so he said: "You could have been dead by now."

He didn't want to look at her in case she was upset and wanted to cry. In that case, he'd just advise her to quit training since you have to be strong emotionally also to make it far as a kunoichi. He saw from the corner of his eye her looking his way, but didn't say a word. He continued: "Are you so easy to give up your defense just because you're in civilian territory?" Zabuza said it harsher than he meant it to be. He heard the quiet start of a sentence, but interrupted it. "It doesn't matter the environment, you should always been on your guard. I saw that you felt my presence and you didn't do a goddamn thing about it. I could have jumped up behind you, took that kunai from your ankle, and slit your throat under ten seconds." Once again, harsher than needed, however, he was trying to get the message across. He heard a faint 'I know.'

Zabuza walked over to the girl to leave a final note. As he leant against one of the metal objects, he stole a quick glance at her as she stared downward. The one glance made him glad he wore bandages that day. He felt a slight blush come on when he saw that she was absolutely beautiful. A heart-shaped face with small pink lips and large, brown, doe-like eyes. Those eyes stared down at her lap in disappointment. Not wanting to be even more of a bully towards her, he ended their one-sided conversation with, "Don't let me catch you doing it again." He walked off feeling a bit of guilt, yet she had to learnt a lesson. Being a shinobi is something that should be treated with dedication.

Later on, Kakashi invited Zabuza to join him for an afternoon practice. Being an experienced chunin, he could help anyone out techniques and jutsu's. When he arrived at the academy, it was clear he wasn't being used as a teaching asset, he was being used as Kakashi's boredom buster. He sat and listened to all the weird, but informative things the teacher talked about. He did notice before Kakashi talked his ear off that the same girl from the rooftop was at the practice. He wanted to watch her fight, but the group took her outside. After the practice, on his way out, Zabuza saw her being harrassed by some puppy-boy. For a moment, he was going to intervene until he saw her flip him. When the puppy-boy got up and reached, Zabuza was surprised by her automatic defense mechanism: twenty large icicles sprouting from the ground in the matter of two seconds. You have to have a pretty good handle on your jutsu to do such a thing, but was disappointed when he saw her with her eyes closed. It was a disappointment because she could have killed him. When she opened her eyes, she seemed surprised herself that he merely dangled from the tip of the tallest icicle. Skip to thirty seconds later, he saw that "she" was a "he" and proceeded to feel... weird.

Back at the dorm, Zabuza sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling feeling cheated. Cheated that he had found a beautiful girl that only ended up to be a boy... a pretty boy. A literal pretty boy. He was confused that even though it was a he that he was still referring to him as "beautiful." Men shouldn't think men are beautiful. Handsome, okay. Appealing, maybe. Pretty, if you're making fun of them. Beautiful? Never.

He returned to the rooftop the next day to try to cool off from the previous day's gender disaster, instead, he was confronted by the same little issue. The pretty boy sat in the same spot, hair flowing in the wind. Zabuza walked slowly up, but this time the boy was on his guard. He launched a kunai that had almost struck him in the face. Almost. His face was etched in disappointment to see Zabuza catch it with such ease. When the boy walked over to fetch the kunai, he asked the pretty boy his name.

"Haku."

It was a pretty name for a pretty boy. He didn't want to face this boy and his large eyes, so he simply walked away. When he got back to the dorm, he lied on his bed, name running through his head. Haku. Haku. Haku. And all he kept imagining was those doe eyes. When he realized what he was doing, Zabuza buried his face into his pillow and tried to think of girls. Perky breasts, round butts, small waists, all of that. It worked after a few times of repetition, but every so often, Haku would just slip back into his head. He decided he'd just go to sleep where nothing happened. Always pitch black.

The next day Zabuza came onto the rooftop and saw the pretty boy sitting in that same spot. Zabuza refused to have to deal with him, so he just stayed by the door and watched him. From time to time, the boy would finger comb through his long mane or get up and slowly walk the length of the rooftop back and forth. He had no idea if the boy noticed his chakra, but he kept it low for a short time before exiting. Each day, he came back to see the boy, same spot, just sitting there. Was he waiting for something? For someone? He didn't want to think about it. He left the next two days in the same way.

On the fourth day, he finally decided to confront him. Zabuza crept towards the boy, keeping his chakra as low as possible. He kept his steps soft until he was beside the boy. Haku obviously didn't notice. When Zabuza leant in for a closer look, he saw his eyelids were closed. He looked... peaceful and the way the sun was hitting him, he looked breathtaking. The moment the thought entered his head, it mentally beat himself up. There was no way he could think a boy was attractive in anyway. He shook his head ferociously before taking his place in front of the boy. He leant against the ledge, angry at himself and the boy. He couldn't even think of a reason why the boy would come up here other than that stupid note prank the dumbass kids do every year.

"Are you really that gullible?" The words slipped out of his mouth. The boy opened his eyes, shocked at his appearance. Then again, Zabuza wasn't intending to speak yet. He didn't understand why he had said that to him. He already started it, so he might as well finish it. "Are you really that gullible?" He asked slower and calmer. The boy caught his breath, but instead asked about his chakra.

"It's called chakra control. You can suppress for a brief time limit, usually used for surprise attacks and camoflaguing yourself from being caught by people who sense the energy. Despite it's usage, it still hinders because when you let it go, it has to rebuild so you're momentarily weak. The longer it's held, the longer it'll take to rebuild. I can tell by your pitiful training that you probably haven't even reached chakra manipulation, correct?" Zabuza said it with more spite than he meant to. He didn't want to lash the boy, but he was just so frustrated with him, himself, everything.

"...no." The pitiful little reply. It was drenched in self-disappointment. Zabuza continued the conversation, asking if he knew they were fake notes. Haku asked how he knew, he cut him off saying it's an every year prank and proceeded to call him a he-she. The boy looked like he was going to talk again. Zabuza cut him off, informing him of his watching of the "puppy boy" and knowing he's a male.

"So, are you just gullible or do you have a purpose of being up here?" he asked the pretty boy. He really did want to know. The boy couldn't possibly be so oblivious to a prank that's run it's course. The boy remained silent for a bit, as if he was thinking of an answer. Then his eyes reached Zabuza's and he said three simple words:

"You... intrigue me."

It was so simple, so brief, yet it startled Zabuza. Intriguing? How was he intriguing? In a way, he felt flattered by the boy's words. Even the way he said it, the boy seemed curious about it almost. Once again, he mentally thanked himself for wearing the bandages because he felt a heat radiating upon his face. He tried to keep his eyes steady, not wanting to appear that he was put off guard. He was going to ask why when the boy cut him off suddenly.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

Zabuza blinked a few times and swallowed. "Zabuza." Haku did the same thing he had done: made a quick "hm" noise, nodded, and got up. He smelt a trace of flowers as he walked by, not looking at him once. The exit was was quiet unlike Zabuza's. He stood there, staring at the door, even after the boy left.

"Intrigue?" he asked himself. What was so intriguing? He wanted to try to list some qualities that would seem interesting, but he couldn't think of any. He wasn't a mind reader, but he kind of wished he was. This smaller boy... he had to just been confused. He shook his head violently and went on his way back to the dorm.

Zabuza lied on his bed, thinking of Haku. His small face repeating, "You... intrigue me" over and over again. It made him feel a bit light headed and tingly.

...Tingly? God, what was this boy doing to him? He's never felt "tingles" before with anyone and this little he-she was messing with his head. Zabuza buried his face into his pillow, trying to suffocate if possible. This boy is nothing! He means nothing! He felt his lungs almost close up until he pulled up, allowing a fresh stream of air to invade his lungs once more. Haku. Haku. Haku. It was still running through his head. Zabuza let out a loud groan before suffocating himself once more. He spent the night trying to forget the boy and trying to die at the same time. He couldn't feel anything towards a boy, he just couldn't.

Just his luck, the next day, he found out about his third roommate from old chipper Hana who acted like it was some blessing for Zabuza and Gaara who merely looked at each other, irritated about another boy. Gaara especially didn't want him because it'd mean he would no longer have a single since he had the third bed. A few hours later, a knock came at the door. Gaara and Zabuza could hear Hana's voice dripping in excitement outside the door. They opened the door together and there was the boy, Haku. He looked girlier than the first few times he saw him. His long hair was braided to the side, hair fell in front of his face. He had a pale pink t-shirt and baggy gray pants with white sneakers barely peaking out. And a black choker. Nobody wore chokers unless they were girls... or he-she's apparently. Zabuza could feel the judgements being created in Gaara's head as he helped bring the bags into the dorm room.

The moment the boy disappeared, Gaara asked about Zabuza's opinion of the "he-she." He pointed out it was the boy from the roof. Gaara said he described a girl. He pointed out it was a boy, then Gaara gave him a look he never seen before: confusion. He was probably confused on why he was defending the boy. Zabuza was confused himself. Typically, he let Gaara say whatever he wanted about anyone and he wouldn't care in the least, yet this boy seemed to earn some form of defense. Maybe because he seemed defenseless. Either way, a quick death glare at Gaara made him give up and focus back on the tv set.

After lunch, Zabuza retired to his bedroom, thinking about this boy. Haku. He kept replaying the scene in his head: "You... intrigue me." Why did it make him feel so good to hear him say that? Why was he feeling "tingly"? How in the fuck was this boy messing with him so badly? Zabuza's frustration grew worse and worse. He wanted to punch the window out or break the desk in his room. Hell, he'd start shit with Gaara if it meant being able to express all this pent up confusion in his head towards Gaara's head. He paced his bedroom back and forth, pulling at his scalp. Why did his face feel so hot when he thought about this small boy? That shouldn't happen to guys. Guys are supposed to like girls, that's how they're supposed to be, end of discussion. But why-?

Zabuza's thoughts were cut short when he heard the door open. He took a few deep breaths, trying to get rid of his flushed face. There was no need to show people he was having some mental breakdown. Of course, it was Haku. Immediately he pointed him towards his new room and retreated to his as soon as possible. The moment he shut the door, he slammed himself onto his bed. Those eyes. Those fucking doe eyes. They were so big and sad and almost afraid when they focused onto Zabuza, but they were pretty also. They stared into Zabuza's with such an oblivious intensity. They never left his as he explained about the dorm. Why was he focused? God, he just wanted to shake the smaller boy and scream "Why?" into his face. Boys shouldn't feel such weird feelings for each other.

Then something happened that Zabuza never expected: he had a disagreement with Gaara. Well, they've had disagreements before, but it was about the boy. (Why is everything about the boy?) Zabuza became a bit defensive about the way Gaara treated him (scaring him out of the dorm). Of course, he questioned when he starting caring about his behavior. Zabuza froze up. Why did he? He had gotten up and helped the boy when they'd usually just watch and chuckle. He had nothing to say, so he said the easiest excuse, giving the boy a break at first. This didn't sit well with Gaara who got up in a huff and stormed to his room.

And then, there's now. Lying on his bed, arguing aginst his morals in pitch black darkness about a boy who's hardly spoken to him. Crushes. Juvenile.

* * *

><p>Gaara sat on his bed, thumbing through his history book. He had stupid assignment due tomorrow, but he just didn't want to do it. Okay, he just wanted to wait to see if the he-she was going to show up. He didn't looked necessarily scared or upset when he left, so he just wanted to see if he was going to stay gone. He started leafing through the pages again when the door opened. His eyes glanced upward to find Haku with a bowl under one arm and a slight smile on his face. Haku headed for his large suitcase and opened it up, pulling out a large metal pan. Gaara raised an eyebrow, curious about the pan. He assumed he had to be baking. This he-she is totally a housewife: she cleans AND bakes? A small smirk grew on his mouth as his eyes travelled down to the history book. U.S. Civil War? How does that apply to real life today? He didn't want to deal with the bullshit of history. He shut the book hard and asked,"Baking some goodies, housewife?"<p>

Haku placed the pan and bowl on his bed carefully before turning to Gaara. "Perhaps... it depends on if you apologize." The boy said it with such a casual tone, as if he expected Gaara to apologize.

He scoffed,"For what? You walked out of the dorm on your own free will."

Haku stepped towards Gaara, placing his hands on his hips. "Yeah, because one, I was planning on making treats to begin with, I was just organizing the pantry and two, I wouldn't have to deal with some sourpuss munchkin scolding me for making a bit of noise. I'm sorry, how about you put away cans on a metal shelf quietly?", he quipped, making sure the words went fast and were individually packaged in pure annoyance towards the redhead.

Gaara gave him a slight smile of disbelief. He was genuinely surprised, but delighted at how the meek boy has gotten a bounce in his step after disappearing for a mere half hour. He liked having a challenge, so he wasn't going to let the he-she know he was eager for this argument. "My, my, someone got their big girl panties on." He simply retorted, reopening his history book.

"No, it's more like not putting up with people who seem to want me out of their lives. Am I invading your personal sanctum or something?" Haku snapped back, furrowing his eyebrows, but in Gaara's eyes, it was too precious to be taken seriously.

"Please," he started, licking his thumb and flipping through some chapter about a war. "You shouldn't be so vain to think I have some personal vendetta against you. You annoy me. Simply put." He looked up at the he-she and gave him a quick eyebrow raise in jest. He got much enjoyment of angering the boy for such a little reason.

There was a brief silence when Gaara thought he had won this little argument since the boy was still standing there, yet wasn't saying a word. Then he saw a hand reach under his nose and grab his history book. The book was suddenly airborne, then landed with a hard smack against the tiled floor. He scowled at the he-she who stood in protest, face still masked in annoyance. Of course, it was minor compared to the irritation he was giving Gaara by suddenly acting like he's tough shit. "Maybe you should take some charm school lessons and learn not to have a pissy fit when a man talks to you."

"Maybe you should stop being a brat and let me finish what **I** have to say," Haku demanded, hands still locked on his hips in a psuedo-threatening way.

Gaara found the boy's behavior irrational and was about to snap, but he really did want to know why the boy was making treats and why it depended on his attitude. He sat up on the bed and held his hand out, waving dramatically. "Go on. Go and explain your _riveting_ tale to me."

Haku made a quick frown before he walked to his bed and sat on it. "I don't want to sit here and go back and forth over nothing," he began with a softer tone than his scolding at Gaara. "I just wanted to let you know that you should apologize for acting rude towards me over nothing. I'm just letting you know that I'm not going to let you run over me. I'm here to stay despite both our wishes-"

"Both?" Gaara questioned.

"I don't want to be here as much as you don't want me here. I wanted to be roomed with my friend Neji on the second floor." Haku explained, rubbing his hands together.

Gaara felt a little twitter in his heart when he heard the name 'Neji.' There was something about that boy that he was attracted to, but he didn't know what. He never admitted to having an interest in guys to anyone other than himself, after all, coming from his very traditional village, an attraction to men is simply outrageous. Even after coming to the academy and the boarding school, he still went after females just because it was in his blood to take property, yet he didn't feel a connection with them. The guys in school however, they were his eye candy. He could never approach any of them, mainly because none of them reach Gaara's tastes. Neji was perfect. Silent, intelligent, focused, not some space-y civilian who only focuses on frivolous things. Knowing that this he-she was a friend of Neji's meant he may have to tone down on the attitude... maybe.

"And this is my problem how?" he simply asked, trying to flatten any form of tone in his voice.

"Because..." Haku took the bowl beside him and lifted it towards Gaara so he could see what was inside. It was some light tanned mixture that seemed to be glistening in sugar. "I was going to make cookies as a housewarming gift. Everyone love cookies, it's a great way to get everyone happy." The boy said it in such glee as if cookies was the ultimate peace offering. It took all restraint in Gaara bite the inside of his cheek and not to burst into laughter at his attempt at getting along, but he just re-thought of Neji. He didn't want to fuck over a chance to get near him, even a little bit.

Gaara bit the opposite side of his cheek once more to calm his laughter before asking, "So, I'm supposed to be on my best behavior otherwise I won't earn you blessed cookies?"

A soft smile grew over Haku's face as he came over to Gaara's bed, sitting beside him. Gaara stiffened at the fact that he was bold enough to be near him after throwing his book, but relaxed when he had the bowl placed on his lap. He raised an eyebrow at Haku who said,"Try the dough. I swear, it'll be the best cookie you'll ever have once they're cooked."

"How do you I know they're not poisoned for my sake?" Gaara asked as he dipped a finger into the pasty concoction. He lifted it to his face and looked at it, studying every little sugar crystal.

Haku giggled and pushed his bangs back. "Shut up and eat it. You won't regret it."

The redhead raised an eyebrow in contest, yet put the dough into his mouth. It almost melted on his tongue like cotton candy. Haku's face seemed to glow as he watched the redhead's face contort from confusion to perhaps a face of happiness then a disappointing tight frown. The bowl was placed back onto Haku's lap followed by the statement of, "I... like cookies." Gaara pursed his lips and refused eye contact to the boy. "So make them." He added, crossing his arms as if he had admitted something embarrassing. Haku bounced off the bed, giving Gaara a quick bow of thanks before grabbing the metal pan and running out the door.

Once the boy left, Gaara let out a huge sigh and quickly stuck his finger back into his mouth, trying to lick the rest of the dough remains off. It was the best fucking cookie dough his mouth had the privilege to taste. He had almost broke his facade trying not to moan in absolute taste pleasure in front of the he-she. Okay, maybe the boy had a good idea with a cookie platter. Maybe.

* * *

><p>Haku stood in front of Zabuza's door, knuckles faintly touching the wood exterior. He wanted to tell him about the cookies he was making like he did with Gaara, maybe he'd actually be kind of happy about the desserts. His heart pounded hard in his chest, still nervous to actually do it. The boy shuffled his feet, knuckles gliding over the grain as he kept thinking about his reaction. Uninterested in eating cookies, amused in a taunting way of the boy's interest in baking? Haku took a step forward and leant his warm forehead onto the cold door, feeling awkward about telling Zabuza about the cookies. He should just make them without concerning about his opinion. Even if he didn't have any, he had a feeling Gaara would be happy to finish the plate off.<p>

"Cookie..." He murmured silently to himself before deciding to take a step back away. As his left foot took a step, the door creaked open. He saw Zabuza looking through the six inch crack with a raised eyebrow.

"Were you... talking to my door?" Zabuza asked, appearing a bit concerned with the smaller boy's pink face.

Haku gripped the cookie bowl and tightened his arm on the metal plate as he managed to stammer,"I'm, uh, making cookies. I-I wanted to see if you'd..." Haku took a dry swallow and continued. "...try the dough... so I know that I'm not just wasting dough..." He wanted to flee. Just run away as far as possible and as fast as he could, rambling like some idiot about cookies. His eyes fell to the taller boy's single foot that was in view of the crack. Large, equally pale, furry toe knuckles, veins sticking out. It felt like forever since another word was spoken, so Haku muttered,"I'm sorry, I'll ju-"

As his feet pivoted to walk away, he saw Zabuza dip a finger into the bowl the boy held on his hip. Haku made a small 'o' with his mouth, watching the taller boy's face to interpret if he liked it or not. Zabuza placed his finger into his mouth and made a quiet smacking sound. It was a few seconds before Haku saw a tiny smile form on his face.

"It's good." Those two words made Haku's heart do a backflip. He actually liked it! Had he had a moment to himself, he'd probably do some weird, awkward happy dance around the room, but he tried to maintain the smile on his face.

"Great! Okay, I'll go make them. Thank you!" He gave Zabuza a quick bow before retreating towards the door, not glancing back at him. He silently opened the door and exited the dorm. Once he shut the door, he leant against it and slid onto the floor in complete happiness. His stomach felt ticklish for some reason. Haku felt silly for feeling so... well, silly, about the boy liking the cookies, but it was the only hope he had at trying to see if him, Gaara, and Zabuza would get along together. All he wanted was a chance of peace. His eyes drifted down to the bowl on his lap, realizing it takes a few minutes to heat up the oven. If he wanted his housewarming gift to be ready at a good time, he had to go now since the cooking class was the building over. Then he remembered what Hana said about the lounge having an oven. It would kill off the time of travelling next door AND the preparation stage.

He stood up and strolled towards the student lounge which had the ugliest green couch Haku ever had the displeasure of seeing, but the rest of the room was quaint. White walls, small table, small refridgerator, and against a bare wall was a single little oven. Haku placed the bowl down on the top of the stove and opened the oven door. He was greeted by cobwebs and the scent of must filling his nostrils. He gave a quick cough before shutting the door. It was clear that this thing was unusable until properly cleaned. He didn't have the time to do it himself and decided he better just head next door. He picked up the bowl and headed to the staircase, still hoping both the boys would enjoy the cookies.

* * *

><p>Gaara and Zabuza sat across each other, waiting in the living room for the cookies that Haku had been hyping up. Most cookies were done in twenty minutes or so, so Gaara had taken the initiative to wait out in the living room and watch tv until the he-she arrived. Surprisingly, Zabuza walked out of his room, donning an raised eyebrow.<p>

"Cookies?" The older boy questioned.

"Cookies." Gaara merely said.

Zabuza sat in the single seat across from the couch Gaara was lounging on, letting the television fill the silence between the two. They hadn't spoken since their disagreement three hours ago, but it was clear it was okay between the two, just as long as Zabuza respected that fact that Gaara doesn't like the he-she. Neither of them knew how long it would be until the boy returned with the tray of hot cookies, yet they were content to sit still to 'experience' this delight Haku put on the cookies. Perhaps it was five minutes after sitting with one another that the door of their dorm swung open.

Haku wore big red oven gloves as he carried in two trays of cookies. His face was squished together, focused on not dropping the cookies that he had painstakingly made for everyone. He placed them on the tiny kitchen counter and ran to the bedroom, returning with a spatula. He carefully slid it under each of the cookies, unsticking them from the pan. He felt his stomach bubble in glee, knowing he had completed the first task of room mate bonding. Now all he hoped was that they thoroughly enjoyed them. He took off his gloves and picked up the trays, walking over to the two quiet friends opposite of one another. It was deathly silent. Neither boy looked happy, just annoyed. He placed them down on the small table and stepped back, thinking they were going to reach over to grab one. No one did.

Zabuza cocked an eyebrow, staring at the two trays of sugar cookies and Gaara was glaring at them as if they wronged him somehow. The glee in Haku's stomach seemed to dwindle when no one said anything. He decided to interrupt the silence with, "I hope you guys like them." He tried to say it in a positive manner, but it came off more as a hopeful request. It felt like minutes before anyone did anything. Haku just wanted the floor to swallow him if his attempt at peace was going to be ignored so strongly, however, a voice interrupted the sorrow.

"They're pink."

Zabuza and Haku's eyes glanced up at Gaara who pursed his lips and crossed his arms, clearly not pleased with the color of the cookies. They adorned a pink swirl of icing and a few white sprinkles. Haku thought it was precious, yet he probably forgotten the not-so precious nature of his roommates. Haku almost felt his heart drop once more in disappointment if he refused the cookies simply because of the coloring. If that was the case, he could just wipe off the icing, there's no problem with that. Haku took a deep breath and sighed. He failed.

"I'm going to clean up the dishes. Please place the cookies in the refrigerator if neither of you will have it," he simply stated, turning his back to the room mates. Cookies were always his easy way into people's hearts. Perhaps he overestimated it this time, after all, Zabuza and Gaara aren't what you would call 'typical.' He shuffled towards the door, feeling uneasy about what happened.

Zabuza watched the long haired boy exit the room with a face that was etched in heartache. He didn't mean to ignore the cookies, he was a bit nervous about taking one. Gaara made it a point to Zabuza that he didn't like the boy and after ridiculing him for helping the younger boy, he'd just receive snide remarks about consuming the cookies. Then again, who in the fuck was the redhead to control what he did? He told Haku that he liked the batter, so obviously the cookie had to be delicious. He was having one no matter what. He reached for the tray closest to him, but paused when he saw the redhead carefully pick up a cookie from the other tray. It surprised him for a moment to see Gaara having the decency to seem appreciative with the dessert the younger boy made and actual eat it rather than giving it death glares.

Zabuza focused back on getting his own cookie. He lifted the bottom with a finger, noting the soft texture. He picked it up, briefly looking over the pink icing. It looked rather thick, but still edible. He took a swift bite. The moment it touched his taste buds, it was absolute bliss. He had no idea that a cookie could taste so amazing. He felt his eyes widen in surprise, but quickly pulled them back. He wanted to gauge Gaara's opinion first. He took a second wonderful bite, eyeing the boy carefully. Gaara lifted to cookie to his mouth and bit into it. He took a long time to chew and swallow and held almost no expression on his face. He met Zabuza's eyes for a brief moment.

"These... are good," the redhead declared, still barren of an reaction of some sort.

Zabuza smirked. "They're very good."

Gaara took another bite, taking another agonizingly long time to chew and swallow. "They're _very_ good." He repeated, now hinting at a bit of delight.

"Extremely good," Zabuza replied, taking two more quick chomps and noticing he only had a little piece left. He popped it into his mouth, trying to keep in the little moan of pleasure in. God, what did this boy make these cookies out of? Heaven's clouds? He looked back at the redhead who's cookie had already disappeared in a matter of seconds. He sat still, licking his lips, staring at the tray.

"Who am I kidding? These are the best fucking cookies I've ever tasted!" Gaara reached for the tray again and started devouring the cookies like nothing. Zabuza was shocked by the redhead's sudden outburst and uncharacteristic behavior. He'd always been so poised and calm. To see him ravenous like this was... rather amusing actually. It reminded him that he was human, more importantly, a regular teenage boy who yields to his stomach's desires.

He wasn't sure how long he was watching the boy when he saw Gaara's hand dive for the tray by Zabuza. He grabbed his wrist suddenly and snapped,"My cookies. Finish your tray."

The redhead glared, but returned to his tray, grabbing a cookie in each hand, and taking turns biting into each one. The sad thing was that Zabuza found this cute because it reminded him of a little kid trying to eat all of the sweets before the mom came home. Essentially that could have been a reason why Gaara inhaled the cookies rather than sit and enjoy them thoroughly like he had with the first one. If Haku saw Gaara do this, he may hold it over his head for the rest of the year and Gaara is not one to blackmail or tease. Zabuza shook his head, breaking free of his thoughts. What he wanted were these freaking delicious cookies. He grabbed one in each hand like Gaara and ate, but at a much slower pace. Unlike the vacuum sitting across from him, he was happy to take his time. He smiled, mentally thanking the younger boy.

* * *

><p>"You made cookies and didn't have any extra for US?"<p>

Temari's pigtails angrily jumped up and down, fuming at Haku for not providing the sweets he said he could make. Haku sheepishly smiled and scooted closer to Neji for protection. The girl seemed to take her desserts even more seriously than Haku.

Her friend swatted her arm, stating, "We didn't ask him to make anything. We only asked if he COULD, not if he WOULD, so calm your shit, people are staring." Temari glanced around, seeing a few eyes on her. A quick blush fell on her face as she sat down properly at the lunch table.

"So, they liked them?" Neji asked.

Haku happily nodded. "They LOVED them. Zabuza thanked me. Gaara demanded me to make more at some point next week. I guess that was his way of saying they were delicious."

"And they left you alone for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah. Zabuza went to his bedroom and didn't come out. I watched tv with Gaara for a bit before he told me he had history homework to do. I watched a few more hours before I showered and went to sleep. I bid Gaara a good rest, but he told me to, pardon my language, 'fuck off.' Overall, yesterday was good." Haku gave a large grin, feeling proud of surviving the first day with the roommates. Of course the cookies worked. When he returned with his clean bowls and tools, he saw Gaara with a smudge of pink icing on his cheek. You don't get icing on your face from calmly eating, you get it from eating fast. Not to mention the two empty trays. There were fifteen cookies are each tray, so they had to really like it to knock down that many sweets in less than half an hour.

Temari's friend leaned over the table and murmured, "You like Zabuza, don't you?"

Haku felt his face grow warm. "W-what?."

"I think you do. I can tell by the way you say his name," she stated, raising her eyebrows as if she knew the truth. "You go an octave lower when you say his name, like bedroom talk, you say the other person's name all low and sexy."

"I didn't say his name like that!" Haku gulped, feeling his face grow even warmer. How could this girl tell he liked him? Even so, it wasn't any of her business.

Temari smiled and asked,"You like Zabuza, don't you? You didn't even try to deny it." The two girls looked at one another in realization: they officially have a gay best friend. Neji knew exactly what they were thinking and felt bad for the poor boy. He was going to be the token gay guy now, even though he has absolutely no experience in fashion, dating, or gossiping. They leaned over the table and started bombarding questions about his crush on Zabuza.

"How'd you meet him?

"What do you like about him?"

"How cute is he?"

"I bet you want to lick his muscles, right?"

"Does he have a great smile?"

"Have you seen him smile?"

"Aren't you the one who slept with him?"

"Yeah, but he wasn't particularly focused on smiling while plowing me."

"Unneeded information. Anyway, are you going to ask him out?"

The girls paused at Temari's question.

Her friend asked,"Why would he ask him out?"

Temari sat down normally, replying,"Because he likes him? Duh."

"We don't even know if Zabuza goes that way. And with a track record of dozens of girls, it's rather obvious he doesn't." Her friend took a bite into her sandwich, waiting for Temari's response. Since she remained quiet, Haku guessed that she now agreed with the friend's statement. If everything she told him was true, it was clear that Zabuza was straight. Even if he was bold enough to admit his interest, he'd be denied. Haku frowned at the thought of having no chance. The girls immediately took notice and started giving him reassuring coo's that there's other fish in the sea, people better than Zabuza, etc. Yeah, yeah, they could say all these nice things, but it didn't change the facts. Haku took a deep breath and sighed. Oh, the pain one must suffer.

* * *

><p>Gaara stared at the lunch table, subconciously adknowledging the students who took the long way around his table. It certainly satisfied the sadist in him to know people will take such lengths to avoid the boy, but disappointed the very small part of him who did want company time to time, even if it wasn't with someone he tolerated. Zabuza wasn't hungry and refused to join the redhead for lunch, so he sat alone, gnawing into the small sandwich in his hands. It wasn't even good, it was just a bunch of deli meats the lunchladies tossed in and pitifully cut tomatoes. Food was food though and at the cost of attending the school (even with his scholarship), he wasn't going to deny a meal.<p>

He noted two freshmen girls who paused near the table and whispered to one another. He assumed it was comments like, "He's cute, why is he alone?" or "He looks creepy, I'm out of here." He briefly rolled his eyes before ripping another piece of the sandwich. The girls seemed to start a path towards his table, but were then stopped by a senior. Gaara believed her name was Ino. He didn't care much for her since she was best friends with some pink haired girl he took property of. She basically punched him in the face and ran off with the pink haired girl. Not to mention she's a horrible gossip. He hated gossip-y people. Ino talked to the girls with a rather pissed off face and then pointed at Gaara. Aah, once again, his reputation had proceeded him thanks to the bitch. The two girls made disgusted/scared faces before running the opposite direction of him. He did see the faint smile in Ino's face as she returned to the table in the middle of the cafeteria.

That's another thing he hated about the cafeteria (besides the food), that fucking table. The so-called "popular crowd" made up of gossip-y bitches and assholes who have nothing better to do but insult people and start unnecessary shit. Of course, there were a few genin/chunin who sat there, after all the urge to act like an imbecile can be bred into anyone. The thing that separated Gaara from them was the fact that he hates everyone equally, not because someone was smaller or weaker or 'didn't look like him.' It was one of the reasons he was also avoided by the group, he actually had a backbone.

He rolled his eyes back to his disgusting meal, not wanting to waste any more brain activity on useless garbage like them. Upon taking another unsavory bite into his sandwich, the oh-so precious he-she came strolling by his table. He gave the redhead a sweet smile and asked,"I was wondering, since you said you wanted more cookies this week, what color icing would you want? That way we don't have another pink incident." He ended the sentence with a giggle. A giggle? This boy is so... Gaara cut his thoughts short and thought about a color for a brief second.

"Red... I guess," he replied dryly. He prodded the apple besides his almost done sandwich, thinking of something else to say.

Haku took note of Gaara's wondering eye on the apple and asked, "Anything else?" Before Gaara could say anything, he was interrupted with:

"Are we going to the store?" The voice was familiar to him, but was surprised when the voice turned out to be his subject of admiration. Neji strolled towards him and the girly boy with a weird aura of confidence. Gaara felt his stomach knot up for a second knowing that he had a chance to talk to the boy instead of taking sneak peeks of him when his guard was down. The boy was even more lovely up close. He stood beside Haku who towered slightly over Neji (at least that's one point of masculinity he had: height). Gaara could actually make out the smooth nose, the cheekbones, even the faint underside of that tattoo under his headband. He then realized he had to have been looking too much at him and broke the spell, refocusing on Haku.

"Yeah, I was just asking Gaara about the second batch of cookies," Haku said. He then looked towards Gaara and asked,"Have you met Neji before?" The knot pulled tighter in his stomach. He was officially given the chance to talk to Neji. Wait, what if Haku told him about the things he said to the pretty boy? Then he'd think he was a horrible person (which is true to an extent) and that is not a very good impression. It was worse than girls avoiding him because the pupil-less boy actually meant something to him. Why is he talking to himself? SAY SOMETHING!

Gaara cleared his throat and let his eyes fall onto Neji. His face stayed emotionless as he waited for him to say something. "I haven't met him formally, but I know of him," he managed to state without a hint of nervousness. He put his hand out to shake. "I'm Gaara."

Neji's face hinted at a bit of friendliness as he took Gaara's extended hand. He gave him firm, but gentle squeeze. "Neji Hyuuga. You're in two classes of mine, correct?" He actually took note that he was in his classes. He assumed Neji had no clue. Glad to know he knows the environment around him, even those who are tucked in the back corner of the classroom.

He took a hard swallow, feeling the nervous feeling prodding at him again. "History and math." Why the hell did he say that? Of course he knew what classes he had with him. Gaara really wanted to duct tape his mouth shut to prevent stupid statements from leaving his mouth. He also realized he still had hold of Neji's hand. He dropped it suddenly, regretting putting his hand out.

Luckily Neji didn't seem to notice. He simply tucked his hand into his front pocket and asked, "Did you pass the history quiz?"

"...no." How embarrassing. It was one of those pop quizzes with five questions and he managed to get all five wrong. His disinterest in History was starting to take effect on his grades. While he's not naturally an A student, he's on scholarship and needs at least C's. Currently, he held a pitiful D in the class.

"Maybe you should tutor Gaara! You're really good with history," Haku suggested. Gaara snapped his focus onto the he-she in shock. Did he really suggest such an equally wonderful and horrible idea that would get him closer to the boy? Haku smiled and said,"You really should have him as a tutor. He's a good teacher."

Neji frowned at Haku's enthusiasm. "Haku, you can't go around suggesting things like that without know how someone feels about it. I'll only service the ones who really want it." It was so hard for Gaara not to take that last sentence to a dark place. Neji turned his attention to Gaara who still seemed uneasy about the situation. "If you do want help with anything..." He pulled out a pack of sticky notes and leaned onto the table. Using a pen he pulled from his other pocket, he scribbled an email address and stuck it onto the apple. "... Just email me. Now, come on Haku. I need to pick up some food." Haku nodded and waved goodbye to Gaara before disappearing with the Hyuuga boy.

Gaara's eyes fell upon the bright green sticky note on the apple that he wasn't going to eat anyway. In big, but elegant letters was the email that he would forever save in his contact list on Yahoo! and stare at, but probably not use. He had pride (which has dwindled significantly in the five minutes of speaking to Neji), but pride nonetheless and would not dare stoop to asking for help until absolutely dire. Even if he wanted to shoot Neji an email asking if he was willing to 'service' Gaara in anatomy, he couldn't dare contact the boy. Not yet. Perhaps those cookies were really as blessed as Haku made them out to be, after all, Haku asking about the cookies made him finally talk to Neji with no problem. Not like he'd admit thinking this to Haku and thanking him. No, it's a coincidence... a very convenient coincidence.

* * *

><p>I apologize the space between updates. I went through the most hellacious month and a half and I withdrew from writing for quite some time. I'm going to try to lengthen the chapters so the story moves along. I think we got character development pretty set up by now. I'm going to attempt to update when I can since I will be starting school very very soon.<p> 


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